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Marvel Comics Trade Paperback Timeline

Welcome to the Marvel Comics Trade Paperback Timeline! So far, the timeline covers Marvel’s trade paperback and hardcover collections that reprint material originally published from 1939 through 2008. Eventually, the aim is for it to include everything from Marvel’s beginnings all the way up to the present. For more information about how this timeline got started, and to leave comments, questions, and suggestions, please check out this post. You can also feel free to email me at marveltimeline@gmail.com. Enjoy!

This volume collects the first issue of Marvel Comics (first published Oct. 1939), as well as issues 2 through 4 of Marvel Mystery Comics; the magazine’s title was changed beginning with the second issue. This volume is also collected in Golden Age Marvel Comics Omnibus, Vol. 1. It has also been reprinted as a trade paperback.

This hardcover is an oversized reprint of the first issue of Fantastic Four, with commentary by Walter Mosley and Jack Kirby biographer Mark Evanier. Fantastic Four #1 is considered the beginning of the “Marvel Age” and serves as the foundation for what will ultimately become the shared Marvel Universe.

Although it takes place in the days of the Wild West, Rawhide Kid is placed here to coincide with its original publication date (when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby revamped the series). This volume collects Rawhide Kid #17-25; the series’ first sixteen issues remain uncollected. It has also been reprinted as a trade paperback.

This book collects the entire fifteen-issue run of Marvel’s anthology series Amazing Fantasy. The final issue contains the first appearance of Spider-Man. That issue is also collected in the first Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks volume, as well as The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus, Vol. 1.

This volume collects the entirety of Hulk’s first series, which was cancelled after six issues. The Hulk makes appearances in several other books, including Fantastic Four and Avengers, before resuming his own solo adventures as a co-feature (along with Ant-Man) in the pages of Tales to Astonish. Those stories are collected beginning with Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk, Vol. 2.

This volume collects the Human Torch’s solo adventures from the pages of Strange Tales. Several stories in the book clash with the continuity of other Marvel comics from this time, but most of these inconsistencies are explained away and/or retconned later in the series. It has also been reprinted as a trade paperback.

In March 1968, Iron Man appeared for the last time in Tales of Suspense and the Sub-Mariner made his final appearance in Tales to Astonish. The next month, the two characters appeared in the Iron Man & Sub-Mariner one-shot, collected in both the fourth Iron Man Masterwork edition and the second Sub-Mariner Masterwork edition. One month later, in May 1968, self-titled ongoing series for each character began; the inaugural issues of these series constitute the final stories collected in the fourth Iron Man and second Sub-Mariner Masterworks volumes, respectively.

In addition to eleven issues of the ongoing X-Men series, this volume also contains Angel’s solo stories from Ka-Zar and Marvel Tales, which were published about two years after the rest of the book’s contents but can be read here regardless. This volume is also collected in The X-Men Omnibus, Vol. 2. It has also been reprinted as a trade paperback.

Captain Marvel’s series goes on hiatus for two years after this point, but resumes in 1972 with a new writer and artist. This new creative run is collected beginning with the third Captain Marvel Masterworks edition.

Beginning with issue 67, the X-Men went into reprints through issue 93. This volume collects the covers to X-Men #67-80, as well as actual stories featuring the X-Men from Amazing Spider-Man, Amazing Adventures, Marvel Team-Up, and Hulk.

This volume collects the final issues of Doctor Strange’s original ongoing series (which ended in 1969), as well as the character’s subsequent appearances in Sub-Mariner, Hulk, Marvel Feature, and Marvel Premiere.

Death of the Stacys collects the entirety of the trade Spider-Man: The Death of Captain Stacy, as well as the final two issues collected in The Death of Gwen Stacy. The Gwen Stacy trade includes an additional three issues of Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a short story from 1998 drawn by John Romita.

The issues collected in The Death of Gwen Stacy are also collected in the trade Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin; this trade also includes the Green Goblin’s second appearance from Amazing Spider-Man #17 and a 1993 issue featuring Harry Osborn as the Goblin.

Spider-Man: The Death of Captain Stacy and the first half of the Gwen Stacy trade are also collected in the tenth Spider-Man Masterworks volume. The second half of the Gwen Stacy trade is also collected in the thirteenth Spider-Man Masterworks volume.

Of the twelve issues collected in this trade, ten are also collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 3; one is also collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 4. The contents of this trade, along with the original graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel, are also collected in the trade The Life and Death of Captain Marvel.

This trade, which collects the second half of Doctor Strange’s appearances in Marvel Premiere and the first five issues of the character’s second ongoing series, is also collected in Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange, Vol. 5.

So far, Captain America has been collected through issue 159 in the Marvel Masterworks format. The fourth Essential volume goes twenty-four issues beyond this point, collecting through issue 186. Issues 177-186 are collected in color in Captain America and the Falcon: Nomad.

Beginning with issue 67, the X-Men went into reprints until issue 93. This volume collects the covers to X-Men #81-93, as well as actual stories featuring the X-Men from Avengers, Captain America, Hulk, Defenders, Giant-Size Fantastic Four, and Marvel Team-Up. Brand-new X-Men stories resume in the main title with X-Men #94, which is collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 1.

This hardcover collects the earliest appearances of the Guardians of the Galaxy from Defenders, Marvel Super-Heroes, and Marvel Two-In-One. Five of the issues collected also appear in Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders, Vol. 4. Its contents are also collected in Guardians of the Galaxy: Tomorrow’s Avengers, Vol. 1.

The contents of The Coming of the Beast and The Serpent Crown overlap: the former collects Avengers #137-140 and 145-146, and the latter collects Avengers #141-144 and 147-149. All of these issues are collected, in publication order, in Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers, Vol. 15.

The contents of this trade actually extend well beyond this point, but it is placed here to coincide with the original publication dates of the only issues it collects that have not been reprinted elsewhere: Captain America #187-192, which bridge the gap between Captain America and the Falcon: Nomad and Madbomb.

Invaders is an ongoing series starring Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the original Human Torch, among others. Although it takes place during World War II, it was originally published at this point.

This trade collects issues featuring a variety of Marvel’s supernatural characters, including the Living Mummy, Gabriel the Devil Hunter, Brother Voodoo, Golem, Scarecrow, and Modred the Mystic. These issues are unrelated to those collected in Essential Marvel Horror, Vol. 1, the contents of which end several years after this point.

The “What If?” series takes place outside of Marvel continuity for the most part, but makes frequent reference to events in the main universe. Additionally, framing sequences for some stories do take place in the main universe.

Essential Iron Fist, Vol. 1 collects all fifteen issues of the character’s first ongoing series (also collected in the two Marvel Masterworks: Iron Fist volumes); it also collects Power Man #48-49 (also collected as the final two issues of Essential Luke Cage, Vol. 2), as well as the first issues of the ongoing series Power Man & Iron Fist. From here, the story of the two characters continues into Essential Power Man & Iron Fist, Vol. 1.

The X-Men Vignettes trade paperbacks collect the original back-up stories from Classic X-Men, a series that reprinted Uncanny X-Men beginning with issue 94. While these reprint issues were originally published in the late 1980s, the stories collected in this trade expand on events in the first and second Uncanny X-Men Masterworks editions.

So far, Doctor Strange has been collected through issue 22 of the character’s second ongoing series in the Marvel Masterworks format. The third Essential volume goes seven issues beyond this point, collecting through issue 29.

This trade collects a number of Fantastic Four appearances drawn by George Pérez. Although several of the issues take place beyond this point, the main issues take place just prior to Fantastic Four: The Overthrow of Doom.

This trade skips two issues of Marvel Team-Up (featuring the cast of Saturday Night Live and Red Sonja, respectively), which Marvel could not reprint for legal reasons. The Red Sonja issue was collected in the Spider-Man/Red Sonja trade.

This trade collects several issues of Wolverine’s first solo miniseries, Uncanny X-Men, and Marvel Team-Up. It is placed at the point the Marvel Team-Up issues were published, since they have not been collected elsewhere in color.

This trade collects the entirety of Omega the Unknown, a short-lived series that ran for ten issues from 1976 to 1977. Its plot was wrapped up in two issues of Defenders, which were published at this point and are collected at the end of the book.

This trade reprints the two issues of Incredible Hulk in which Wolverine first appears (originally published in 1974), as well as a short story from a 1980 issue of Marvel Treasury. The Hulk issues have been collected in a wide variety of other collections, and the Marvel Treasury story is also collected in X-Men: Road Trippin’!

The final two issues collected in this book were actually published in 1986, but the other 36 issues were published from late 1973 up to this point in 1980. The two 1986 issues can be read here just as easily as later.

This book collects full issues of Dracula Lives!, Tomb of Dracula Magazine, and Monster of Frankenstein; the main Tomb of Dracula series is collected across the first two Omnibus editions. Many of the stories featuring Dracula from these issues are also collected in Essential Tomb Of Dracula, Vol. 4.

All of the issues collected in this oversized hardcover are also collected in the fifth and sixth Uncanny X-Men Masterworks volumes, with only two exceptions – an issue of Classic X-Men and an issue of What If?. The former is collected in the hardcover X-Men: Phoenix Rising, while the latter is an otherwise uncollected alternate-universe story that doesn’t contribute to the main plot.

Previous editions of this trade included only Uncanny X-Men #141-142, but the newest one collects Uncanny X-Men #138-143 and Annual #4. The contents of this trade are also collected in the fifth and sixth Uncanny X-Men Masterworks volumes.

The two preceding Spider-Man trades collect a variety of issues from throughout the character’s history. The Sensational Spider-Man and The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man both collect Amazing Spider-Man Annual #14; all three collect Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15.

The sixth Captain Marvel Masterworks volume collects the final five issues of Captain Marvel’s ongoing series (which ended in 1979), several of the character’s subsequent appearances in Marvel Spotlight, and the 1982 original graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel.

The Premiere Classic hardcover edition of The Death of Captain Marvel collects the original graphic novel, Captain Marvel #34 (also collected in The Life of Captain Marvel and in Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 4), and two issues of Marvel Spotlight (also collected in Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel, Vol. 6). The original graphic novel (along with the contents of the trade The Life of Captain Marvel) has also been collected in the trade The Life and Death of Captain Marvel.

The original trade paperback edition of this story collects just two issues; those issues have also been collected in Spider-Man: Murder by Spider, Wizard Spider-Man Masterpiece Edition and Spider-Man: The Gauntlet, Vol. 4 – Juggernaut. These are also the final two issues collected in Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 10.

This trade collects various issues of Daredevil, including issues 131-132, which were published in 1976 and have not been collected elsewhere. The rest of the book’s contents take place later, with the latest issue taking place at this point.

Most of the material collected in this trade was originally published from 1973 to 1976, but it is placed here due to its inclusion of the 1983 original graphic novel Killraven, Warrior of the Worlds: Last Dreams Broken. The book also includes a Killraven one-shot from 2001.

This trade collects a variety of issues featuring both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four; the latest story, from Marvel Team-Up #132-133, was published at this time. The book actually ends with an issue published in 1996, but it takes place in the early days of Spider-Man’s career and can be read here.

Most of the material collected in this hardcover was published in the mid- to late 1970s, but the final three issues, Captain America #286-288, were published at this point in late 1983. These three issues were also collected in the trade Captain America: Deathlok Lives.

So far, Uncanny X-Men has been collected through issue 175 in the Marvel Masterworks format. The fourth Essential volume goes four issues beyond this point, collecting through issue 179. Later printings of this trade include the original graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. Nine issues collected in this trade have also been collected (in color) in X-Men: From the Ashes; seven have also been collected (in black & white) in X-Men: Target – Angel; and another six have been collected (in black & white) in the digest-sized X-Men: Dark Phoenix Returns.

This trade collects a four-issue miniseries which re-edited pre-existing writing and artwork from Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil in an effort to make Elektra more of a focal point in the story. As such, it very obviously isn’t canon, but is included on the timeline for the sake of completeness.

The Secret Wars miniseries began publication at this point in 1984 and ended about a year later, but it takes place at this point in the timeline. The main series has also been collected as a trade paperback.

Walt Simonson’s run on Thor was originally collected in a trade series titled Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson. These new editions are of more even length (the Thor Visionaries trades collected anywhere from eight to twelve issues each) and collect all of the issues in proper sequence. The contents of this volume are also collected in the Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus. Some of its contents were also collected at one point as The Mighty Thor: The Ballad of Beta Ray Bill.

The eight issues of Amazing Spider-Man collected in this trade are also collected in Spider-Man: The Saga of the Alien Costume and in Spider-Man: Birth of Venom. The six issues of Spectacular Spider-Man collected are also collected in Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 4.

This hardcover includes the original four-issue West Coast Avengers miniseries, as well as issues from the main Avengers title, all published in 1984. It also collects one issue published in 1993. Its contents are also collected in Avengers: West Coast Avengers Omnibus, Vol. 1.

The five issues of Amazing Spider-Man collected in this trade are also collected in Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past. The first issue collected is also collected in Spider-Man: The Saga of the Alien Costume and in Spider-Man: Birth of Venom.

Star Comics was an imprint aimed at younger readers that lasted from 1984 to 1988. While the line’s place in Marvel continuity is questionable at best, certain titles do feature appearances by Spider-Man and other Marvel characters, and many of the Star Comics characters later appeared in the 2009 X-Babies miniseries. The trades have thus far collected issues from four different series: Planet Terry, Top Dog, Wally the Wizard, and Royal Roy.

Beginning with its second printing, Essential X-Men, Vol. 5 collects the two-issue X-Men/Alpha Flight miniseries. The miniseries is also collected in X-Men: The Asgardian Wars, along with two issues also collected in Essential X-Men, Vol. 6; at one point it was also collected in its own trade, X-Men/Alpha Flight: The Gift.

X-Men Epic Collection: The Gift collects the second half of Essential X-Men, Vol. 5, including the X-Men/Alpha Flight miniseries, but in color. It also collects the four-issue Nightcrawler miniseries, which has not been collected elsewhere.

The final Fantastic Four story in the Secret Wars II Omnibus was actually published about two years after the rest of the material collected in the book, but can nonetheless be read here with fairly little confusion. The main series has also been collected as a trade paperback.

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, Vol. 7 collects two issues of Fantastic Four, one issue of Avengers, and one issue of X-Factor. X-Men: Phoenix Rising collects the same issues (minus one issue of Fantastic Four), as well as two short stories from the Classic X-Men series. The two Fantastic Four issues are also collected in Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus, Vol. 2.

Essential Punisher, Vol. 1 collects the Punisher’s earliest appearances in Amazing Spider-Man and other titles, beginning in 1974 and continuing up to this point in 1986. The character’s first miniseries is collected at the end of the Essential volume, as well as in its own hardcover collection, entitled Punisher: Circle of Blood. Two issues collected in Essential Punisher, Vol. 1 were also collected in black and white in the trade Classic Punisher.

The Squadron Supreme trade paperback collects the original 12-issue series and a tie-in issue of Captain America. The Squadron Supreme by Mark Gruenwald Omnibus collects the same issues and an original graphic novel from 1989 (which is also collected in the trade Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe).

The original Mutant Massacre trade collected five issues of Uncanny X-Men, three issues of X-Factor, two issues of Thor, and one issue each of New Mutants and Power Pack. These issues are all included (in black and white) in Essential X-Men, Vol. 6 as well. The oversized hardcover edition of Mutant Massacre includes these issues, plus an otherwise uncollected issue of Daredevil.

Star Brand, Psi-Force, and D.P.7 are part of the “New Universe” imprint launched by Marvel in celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary. The imprint was meant to portray superheroes realistically and to be completely separate from the Marvel Universe proper. Many characters eventually did find their way into the main universe, though, providing sufficient reason to place these trades on the timeline.

This hardcover collects the 1982 miniseries Contest of Champions, but the 1987 issues of Avengers and West Coast Avengers collected here place it at this point on the timeline. Earlier printings were simply titled Contest of Champions.

This series takes place during the Vietnam War, but was published at this point. It eventually crosses over with the Punisher, revealing previously unexplored elements of that character’s early life. The contents of this trade were previously collected in The ’Nam, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol. 3.

The original Fall of the Mutants trade paperback collected three issues each of Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants, and X-Factor; the most recent hardcover edition collects eight issues each of Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor, seven issues of New Mutants, and tie-in issues from Captain America, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Hulk, and Power Pack. The contents of the Omnibus have also been split over two trade paperback collections: X-Men: Fall of the Mutants, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

This hardcover collects the same material as the fourth and fifth Avengers: West Coast Avengers collections – Lost in Space and Time, and Zodiac Attack – as well as an additional twelve issues not collected in either of those books.

This hardcover collects a variety of Spider-Man stories from throughout the character’s history, including “The Death of Jean DeWolff,” “Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut,” and “The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man.” The latest story collected here was published at this point in 1989.

Nine of the issues collected in this trade were originally collected as Daredevil Legends, Vol. 4: Typhoid Mary. Six other issues are also collected in Daredevil: Lone Stranger, and three are collected in X-Men: Inferno Crossovers.

This hardcover collects a number of issues written by Roy Thomas from various series, including Avengers, Captain Marvel, Sub-Mariner, X-Men, Incredibly Hulk, Fantastic Four, Invaders, and Doctor Strange.

This hardcover collects the original graphic novel Black Widow: The Coldest War, which was published in 1990; the rest of the material collected in the book was originally published in Marvel Fanfare in 1983-84.

Collecting tie-ins from the “Acts of Vengeance” crossover, the main Omnibus includes issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Avengers Spotlight, Avengers West Coast, Captain America, Iron Man, Quasar, Thor, and Cloak & Dagger. The Spider-Man issues have also been collected as Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures.

All but three of the issues collected in this trade have also been collected in one or more of the following trades or hardcovers – Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane Omnibus, Acts of Vengeance Omnibus, Spider-Man: The Birth of Venom, and Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures.

This trade collects various issues from throughout the team’s history, the latest of which were published at this point and tie into Acts of Vengeance. The tie-in issues are also collected in Acts of Vengeance Omnibus.

Most of the material collected in this trade, including the final issues of Moon Knight’s first ongoing series and the character’s first six-issue miniseries, were actually published in the early to mid-1980s. However, the trade’s final issue was published at this point in 1990.

Events in this hardcover continue directly from X-Men: Inferno. Of the 28 issues collected, twelve are also collected in X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee. That trade contains frequent gaps, however, since it omits any issues not drawn by Lee; this volume does not omit any. It continues directly into X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda.

Collecting the “Days of Future Present” crossover, this trade includes the 1990 Annual issues of Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants, X-Factor, and Fantastic Four. These issues are also collected in Essential X-Factor, Vol. 4.

Contrary to its title, this hardcover actually collects ten issues of New Mutants; the series changed its name to X-Force beginning with the issues collected in the next volume of this hardcover series, X-Force: A Force to be Reckoned With.

This hardcover (originally published as a trade paperback) collects five issues of Silver Surfer’s ongoing series, as well as the two-issue Thanos Quest miniseries. The latter was also collected on its own at one point as The Thanos Quest. The contents of Silver Surfer: Rebirth of Thanos are also collected in Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus.

This trade collects the first six issues of the ongoing New Warriors series, as well as two lead-in issues of Thor. It is also collected in The New Warriors Omnibus, Vol. 1. The series’ first four issues and the two Thor issues were previously collected as New Warriors: Beginnings.

In addition to four issues of the New Warriors ongoing series, this trade also collects the “Kings of Pain” crossover, which took place in the 1991 Annual issues of New Warriors, New Mutants, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Factor. The contents of this trade are also collected in The New Warriors Omnibus, Vol. 1.

This trade tells the partial story of Wolverine’s origin, and so is set long before this point on the timeline; as such, it can be read at any time and with very little outside knowledge of Wolverine or the Marvel Universe in general. However, it is placed here to coincide with the story’s original publication date, and because the experience of reading earlier Wolverine stories is arguably better (or, at least, more in keeping with the creators’ original intentions) without any knowledge of the character’s mysterious past. The contents of this trade are also collected in Wolverine Omnibus, Vol. 1 and in The Best of Wolverine, Vol. 1.

This hardcover collects the final three issues of New Mutants and the first four issues of X-Force. Also collected is an issue of Spider-Man which, at one point, was collected along with X-Force issues 3 and 4 as X-Force and Spider-Man: Sabotage. A reissue of that trade (which would have added the first two issues of X-Force to the contents), entitled X-Force: Big Guns, was at one point solicited but never published. The last two issues of New Mutants and the first issue of X-Force were also previously collected together as Cable: Second Genesis.

The six-issue Infinity Gauntlet miniseries has also been published as a Premiere Classic hardcover and as a trade paperback. The miniseries was also collected at one point as Thanos, Vol. 1: Infinity Gauntlet.

The first four issues collected in this trade take place soon after Wolverine Classic, Vol. 5, and they are also collected in Wolverine by Larry Hama & Marc Silvestri, Vol. 1. The next two issues were published in 1991, and the final two issues were published at this point in 1992.

This trade collects five issues of The ‘Nam (#52-53 and 67-69) which feature pre-Punisher appearances by Frank Castle. The trade is also sometimes referred to by the title Punisher Invades the ‘Nam: Final Invasion.

The main five-issue storyline collected in this trade was published at this point in 1992; also collected are two issues featuring the first appearances of Cletus Kasady (before he became Carnage) from 1991.

This hardcover continues directly from X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda, collecting issues of Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, Ghost Rider, and X-Men. Of the 29 issues collected, six are also collected in X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee; five of those issues were also collected at one point as X-Men: Crossroads.

Collecting the “X-Cutioner’s Song” crossover, this hardcover collects issues of Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Factor, and X-Force. The original trade paperback collected two issues less than the most recent printing.

This trade collects two four-issue miniseries. The first, Deadly Foes of Spider-Man, was published in 1991 and was also collected in its own trade. The second, Lethal Foes of Spider-Man, was published at this point in 1993.

Collecting the “Bloodties” crossover, this hardcover includes issues of X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Avengers, and West Coast Avengers. It also includes a Black Knight one-shot that was not included in the original trade paperback.

The first story arc in this trade actually takes place between Essential X-Men, Vol. 9 and X-Men: X-tinction Agenda, but the second story (from the 1993-94 Gambit miniseries) was published at this time. This miniseries has also been collected as simply Gambit.

Marvels is a miniseries that weaves its way through Marvel’s history from its beginnings to roughly the start of the Bronze Age (the early 1970s), but it was published at this point. The most recent trade includes the original series, plus the two-issue follow-up miniseries Ruins; earlier printings include only the main series. Marvels was also at one point collected in an oversized 10th Anniversary Hardcover that does not include Ruins, but does include several hundred pages of bonus material unique to that edition.

This trade collects rare X-Men stories from Amazing Adult Fantasy, Bizarre Adventures, Classic X-Men, Marvel Fanfare, and a 1994 San Diego Comic-con special, the latest of which was published at this point.

The Clone Saga trade series collects issues in chronological order, rather than in their order of publication. The miniseries Spider-Man: The Lost Years, which details the early adventures of Spider-Man’s clone Ben Reilly, is thus collected as part of the first trade. It was also at one point collected in its own trade, Spider-Man: The Lost Years.

The first Age of Apocalypse trade actually mostly collects material published well after the main storyline; these stories for the most part serve as prequels to the main action, but several involve characters traveling back in time and thus rely on familiarity with events in the later volumes. As a result, the order in which Marvel has chosen to collect this material can be rather confusing.

The story of Blink continues from the end of the first Age of Apocalypse trade to Exiles, Vol. 1: Down the Rabbit Hole. The Exiles series takes place mostly in alternate universes, but it occasionally affects and is affected by events in the main universe.

The final story collected in the third Clone Saga trade is the four-part “Planet of the Symbiotes” crossover, which was actually published after the material collected in the fourth trade. However, it can nonetheless be read here with little confusion.

This hardcover collects a number of issues written by Stan Lee from various series, including Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and Thor. The most recent issue, a short story from Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1, was published at this point.

Three of the issues collected in Thor: Sunlight & Shadows were previously collected in Thor Visionaries: Mike Deodato Jr., and the trade’s final issue is also collected in X-Men: The Complete Onslaught Epic, Vol. 3.

This trade collects the entire thirteen-issue series starring the Phil Urich version of the Green Goblin. The third issue is also collected in Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic, Book 1. The twelfth issue is an “Onslaught” tie-in and is also collected in X-Men: The Complete Onslaught Epic, Vol. 2.

This trade collects the two-issue miniseries X-Men vs. the Brood, originally published at this time, as well as several issues of Uncanny X-Men from the late 1980s. This trade is also sometimes referred to as X-Men vs. the Brood: Day of Wrath.

Most of the material collected in the first Deadpool Classic trade was published during 1993 and 1994, but because the final issue of the collection (that is, the first issue of Deadpool’s ongoing series) was published in 1997, the book is placed here. Deadpool Classic, Vol. 2 follows directly from where Deadpool Classic, Vol. 1 leaves off with the second issue of the Deadpool ongoing series. The two miniseries collected in Deadpool Classic, Vol. 1 have also been collected in their own trades, Deadpool: The Circle Chase and Deadpool: Sins of the Past. Deadpool Classic Companion collects various Deadpool appearances, most of which take place between The Circle Chase, Sins of the Past, and the beginning of Deadpool’s ongoing series.

Elektra: The Movie contains the “Minus One” issue from Elektra’s 1996 ongoing series, which has yet to be collected elsewhere and was first published at this time. Aside from that and the movie adaptation, all of this trade’s contents are also collected in the Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson trade series.

Collecting the “Operation Zero Tolerance” crossover, this hardcover includes issues of X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Cable, Generation X, Wolverine, X-Force, and X-Man. The original trade paperback collected seven issues less than the most recent printing.

Many of Earth’s superheroes, including the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, were transported to an alternate universe at the end of X-Men: The Complete Onslaught Epic, Vol. 4. In this new Heroes Reborn universe, their stories and ongoing series started completely anew, with new origin stories and new creative teams. The Heroes Reborn universe lasted just one year, at which point the heroes returned in the aptly titled Heroes Reborn: The Return. Books listed in the timeline between the fourth Onslaught trade and the Heroes Reborn trades take place during the time in which the heroes are absent from the main universe.

The latest printing of Heroes Reborn: The Return includes the eponymous four-issue miniseries as well as seven tie-in one-shots. The original trade included only the miniseries. The latest printing of Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four includes the entire series, while earlier printings collect only the first six issues.

This trade collects a three-issue miniseries from 1997 which is essentially a sequel to Spider-Man: The Origin of the Hobgoblin. The latest printing also includes an additional three issues of Spectacular Spider-Man, published at this point in 1998.

Captain America, Iron Man, and the rest of Marvel’s superheroes return from the Heroes Reborn universe at the same time (other than Thor, who returns slightly later), so it can be assumed that Captain America: To Serve and Protect and Iron Man: Deadly Solutions take place concurrently, for the most part. Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1 starts shortly after the new Captain America and Iron Man series begin, the events of which (such as Cap losing his round shield in the second issue collected in To Serve and Protect) are reflected in Avengers.

Kurt Busiek’s run on Avengers was originally collected in eight trades paperbacks; it was later re-collected into the five Avengers Assemble hardcovers (which were subsequently reprinted as five trade paperbacks). I have chosen to include the hardcovers on this list, rather than the original trades, for several reasons: the original trades skip a number of issues that are included in the hardcovers (namely, the Maximum Security issues and the Jerry Ordway fill-in issues); the original trades have been out of print for several years now; and the hardcovers are oversized and generally more nicely put together than the trades.

Because the hardcovers each collect more issues than the original trades did, including the hardcovers on this list does create some minor problems. One is the case of Avengers: Supreme Justice, the second volume in the original trade series, which is the only trade to collect material not present in the hardcover series. As such, it is included on the timeline directly after Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1. The two issues that are unique to Supreme Justice are Captain America #8 and Quicksilver #10, which complete the “Live Kree or Die” storyline. Supreme Justice collects the other two issues in the storyline as well – Avengers #7 and Iron Man #7 – but those issues are also collected in Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1 and Iron Man: Deadly Solutions, respectively. Supreme Justice should thus be read after the Captain America and Iron Man collections, and before the seventh issue collected in Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1.

This trade collects original graphic novels from 1989 and 1998, as well as issues of Thor and Avengers. The Avengers issues are also collected in both Avengers: Supreme Justice and Avengers Assemble, Vol. 1.

Appearances by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four in this volume place it well after Heroes Reborn: The Return and its immediate aftermath. The contents of Guardian Devil are also collected in Daredevil, Vol. 1 (Hardcover). The first three issues it collects were also collected at one point as Daredevil: Marvel’s Finest. Recent printings of Guardian Devil drop the volume number from the title.

This hardcover collects the first twenty-five issues of the Iron Man series launched in 1998; the first fourteen are also collected across the hardcovers Iron Man: Deadly Solutions and Iron Man: Revenge of the Mandarin. The Omnibus also collects the “Live Kree or Die” crossover, which includes issues of Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, and Quicksilver.

Also collected in its entirety is the “Eighth Day” crossover, which includes issues of Iron Man, Thor, and Peter Parker: Spider-Man, as well as a Juggernaut one-shot; this storyline is also collected in Thor by Dan Jurgens & John Romita Jr., Vol. 3.

The miniseries X-Men: The Search for Cyclops is collected in X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Vol. 2: Ages of Apocalypse, despite being published nearly a year after the other material collected in the book. The X-Men: Powerless trade continues directly from the pre-Search for Cyclops material. As a result, reading the Search for Cyclops issues at this point is not recommended; they are better placed immediately before X-Men: Eve of Destruction instead.

This trade collects several issues of X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Cable, Wolverine, and X-Force, bridging the gap between the X-Men vs. Apocalypse trades and the re-launch of Marvel’s X-Men titles which took place in mid-2000. Under this re-launch, several titles briefly bore an “X-Men: Revolution” banner on their covers, while the others bore a “Counter X” banner. The Counter X titles have all been collected, but most of the Revolution ones have not.

This trade collects the “Maximum Security” crossover in its entirety; in addition to the main three-issue miniseries and Dangerous Planet one-shot (which are also collected in Avengers Assemble, Vol. 4 and in the Avengers by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez Omnibus, Vol. 2), it collects issues of Avengers, Bishop, Captain America, Gambit, Iron Man, Thor, Uncanny X-Men, and X-Men Unlimited.

The contents of this trade are also collected in Punisher by Garth Ennis Omnibus and in Punisher, Vol. 1 (Hardcover). The latter also includes the Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe one-shot and Marvel Knights Double Shot #1. Recent printings of Welcome Back, Frank drop the volume number from the title.

This hardcover collects two miniseries, both titled simply “Black Widow.” The first was published in mid-1999, and the other at this point. The two series were also collected together in the trade Black Widow.

In addition to several issues of the main Avengers series, this book also collects the miniseries Maximum Security and the Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet one-shot. It does not, however, include any of that crossover’s tie-ins (which are collected, along with the miniseries and Dangerous Planet, in the trade Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security).

As previously mentioned, the miniseries X-Men: The Search for Cyclops (collected in X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Vol. 2: Ages of Apocalypse) should be read immediately before X-Men: Eve of Destruction rather than along with the other issues it’s collected with.

Although the final issue it collects was published after those collected in New X-Men, Vol. 1: E is for Extinction, the first X-Treme X-Men trade is placed here due to events involving the Beast, which occur prior to the New X-Men series.

The Exiles series picks up directly from the end of the miniseries Blink, which is collected in X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Vol. 1. The contents of this trade are also collected in Exiles Ultimate Collection, Book 1.

The first five issues collected in this trade were published in 1986; the next five stories were originally published as back-up material in Captain America #358-362 in 1989; and the final four issues were published as the USAgent limited series at this point in 2001.

Previous editions of this trade were titled Thor, Vol. 1: The Death of Odin. The most recent printing drops the volume number from the title. Older printings collected Thor #39-44; the most recent one collects Thor #36-43 and Annual 2001. Thor #44 is now collected in the latest printing of Thor: Lord of Asgard.

As its title suggests, this trade actually takes place long before this point on the timeline. However, it was originally published here and its events were not explicitly referenced until after this point.

Six of the twenty issues collected in this trade were previously collected in Wolverine: The Best There Is; five more were collected in Wolverine/Deadpool: Weapon X. The latter also included four issues of Deadpool that are not collected in Wolverine: The Return of Weapon X; however, those issues now appear in Deadpool Classic, Vol. 8. All of these issues lead directly into the Weapon X ongoing series, which has never been collected.

Alias has been collected in several different formats, but for the purposes of this timeline, I have given each of the original four trades its own entry. It should be noted, however, that these initial trades did print one issue from the series out of sequence, skipping over #10 (which takes place between the first and second trades) and placing it in the third trade instead. This problem was corrected for the two books in the Alias: The Ultimate Collection trade series, as well as in the Alias Omnibus, both of which collect all of the material in the original four trades in proper sequence. The contents of the first book in the original trade series are also collected in Alias Ultimate Collection, Book 1.

This trade collects Alias #10 and 16-21; see the note to Alias, Vol. 1 for more information. Alias #10 is also collected in Alias Ultimate Collection, Book 1; the other issues are collected in Book 2. All of the issues collected in this trade are included in the Alias Omnibus.

This trade collects a black-and-white adaptation of Bram Stoker’s original novel, which was begun in 1974 but not completed until this point. A colorized version was released in 2010; in 2011, this version was released again in digest format. The version of the character that appears here is different from the one that appears in the rest of Marvel’s comics.

The main story in Marvel 1602 does not take place in the main Marvel universe, but its ending suggests that it may have some larger connection to it. It is also available in a 10th anniversary hardcover edition.

Truth: Red, White & Black takes place during World War II, but its events don’t affect Marvel continuity until Captain America, Vol. 5: Homeland. Later collections of the miniseries are titled Captain America: Truth.

We can infer that the Avengers Disassembled tie-ins take place before the main story for several reasons: Iron Man is still Secretary of State in Avengers Disassembled: Iron Man; Thor does not appear in Avengers Disassembled; and the tie-ins make no reference to the dissolution of the Avengers, which takes place at the end of Avengers Disassembled. There is a three-month gap (in terms of story, not publication date) between the end of Avengers Disassembled and the first New Avengers trade, during which the first Young Avengers trade must take place.

The contents of the first New Avengers trade are also collected in New Avengers, Vol. 1 (Hardcover). Spider-Man: Breakout collects a miniseries that was actually released later in 2005, but it follows directly from the events of the first New Avengers trade.

Collecting the “House of M” crossover, these trades collect the tie-in issues by series rather than publication order. The beginning, ending, and main story can be found in the first trade, called simply House of M. The other trades take place in a pocket universe created during the main story and destroyed at the end of it.

“House of M” has also been collected in its entirety across four oversized hardcovers. House of M collects the main miniseries. House of M: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four & X-Men collects the House of M: Spider-Man miniseries and Uncanny X-Men tie-in issues (also collected in their own trades), the House of M: Fantastic Four miniseries (also collected in House of M: Fantastic Four/Iron Man), a Black Panther tie-in issue (also collected in House of M: World of M), and a New Thunderbolts tie-in issue (not collected in any of the House of M trades, but in New Thunderbolts, Vol. 2: Modern Marvels).

House of M: Wolverine, Iron Man & Hulk collects the Wolverine, Captain America, and Pulse tie-in issues (also collected in House of M: World of M), the House of M: Iron Man miniseries (also collected in House of M: Fantastic Four/Iron Man), the Hulk tie-in issues (also collected in their own trade), and a Cable & Deadpool tie-in issue (not collected in any of the House of M trades, but in Cable & Deadpool, Vol. 3: The Human Race and Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection, Book 1).

House of M: No More Mutants collects the Mutopia X and New X-Men tie-in issues, a Ms. Marvel one-shot, the House of M: The Day After one-shot (also collected in X-Men: The Day After), and three issues of Exiles (also collected in Exiles, Vol. 12: World Tour, Book 1).

The three preceding trades collect material published several years after the original crossover, but which nonetheless take place in the pocket universe created and subsequently destroyed in the main House of M story.

This hardcover collects the same issues as the two Milligan/Allred X-Force trades (Vol. 1: New Beginnings, and Vol. 2: Final Chapter), the four X-Statix trades, and X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl. Also collected are an issue of The Brotherhood, an I Heart Marvel one-shot, and material from X-Men Unlimited and Nation X. The Nation X story wasn’t published until 2010, but the two main series were published from 2001 to 2004, with the Dead Girl miniseries taking place at this point.

The main seven-issue miniseries of the “Civil War” crossover is collected in this trade. The scripts from this miniseries have also been collected, in Civil War Script Book. Nearly every ongoing series published by Marvel was affected by the crossover at one point or another, which creates some difficulties when attempting to read it in trade. Unless otherwise noted, all Civil War trades listed after this point take place during the events of the main story.

In addition to trades which collect the crossover by series, it has also been collected across a series of oversized hardcovers. Both the main series and the contents of the script book are collected in the oversized hardcover Civil War. Civil War: Avengers collects the Captain America, Iron Man, New Avengers, and Ms. Marvel tie-in issues (also collected in their own trades), as well as several tie-in one-shots.

Civil War: Fantastic Four collects the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, and She-Hulk tie-in issues, as well as the Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways miniseries. Each of these has been collected in its own trade, except for the She-Hulk issue, which is also collected in Civil War: Marvel Universe and She-Hulk, Vol. 4: Laws of Attraction.

Civil War: Front Line collects the Civil War: Front Line miniseries (also collected across two trade paperbacks), as well as two of the three one-shots (Choosing Sides and The Return) that are collected in Civil War: Marvel Universe.

Civil War: The Underside collects the Ghost Rider, Heroes for Hire, Moon Knight, Punisher War Journal, and Thunderbolts tie-in issues. Each of these has been collected in its own trade, although the Ghost Rider and Moon Knight trades do not have the “Civil War” branding – instead, they are titled Ghost Rider, Vol. 2: The Life & Death of Johnny Blaze, and Moon Knight, Vol. 2: Midnight Sun. Civil War: The Underside also collects the Civil War: War Crimes one-shot (also collected in a trade of the same name).

Civil War: X-Men collects the Cable & Deadpool, Wolverine, X-Factor, and Blade tie-in issues, as well as the four-issue Civil War: X-Men miniseries. The Wolverine issues and the miniseries are also collected in their own trades. The Cable & Deadpool and X-Factor issues are collected together in Civil War: X-Men Universe, as well as in their own individual trade paperback series. The Blade tie-in is also collected in Blade, Vol. 1: Undead Again. This hardcover also collects two handbook-style issues best read after the rest of the crossover; they are also collected in Civil War Companion.

This trade collects two issues of X-Force and two issues of Cable & Deadpool. It is also collected in the oversized hardcover Civil War: X-Men.

The X-Factor issues are also collected in X-Factor, Vol. 2: Life & Death Matters. The Cable & Deadpool issues are also collected in Cable & Deadpool, Vol. 6: Paved With Good Intentions and in Deadpool & Cable Ultimate Collection, Book 2.

Only the first issue collected in this trade was published by this point, but that issue must be read here in order for the next several books on the timeline to make sense. (Specifically, it leads directly into Civil War: The Confession, a one-shot collected in the Civil War: Iron Man trade.) This dilemma has been resolved in the oversized hardcover Civil War: Avengers, which collects the first issue alongside the issues of Captain America that directly tie in to the crossover. This issue is also collected in Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus, Vol. 1. The trade’s entire contents are collected in The Death of Captain America Omnibus.

This trade collects two tie-in issues of Iron Man, an Iron Man/Captain America one-shot, and the one-shot Civil War: The Confession. The first three issues take place roughly in the middle of the crossover (and should be read there), but The Confession takes place immediately following the first issue collected in The Death of Captain America, Vol. 1: The Death of the Dream. The contents of this trade are also collected in Civil War: Avengers.

This trade collects three Civil War one-shots – Civil War: Choosing Sides, Civil War: The Return (featuring the return of Captain Marvel), and Civil War: The Initiative – as well as a tie-in issue of She-Hulk. The first two one-shots are both also collected in Civil War: Front Line. Civil War: The Initiative, which builds directly on events in Civil War: Iron Man (specifically, the Civil War: The Confession one-shot), is also collected in Civil War: Avengers.

This trade collects a variety of handbook-style issues that give additional background on the Civil War crossover, but it does not include any actual stories. It is best read after the rest of the crossover, as several issues (in particular, Civil War: Battle Damage Report and Marvel Spotlight: Civil War Aftermath) discuss the ending in considerable detail.

In addition to the main five-issue miniseries, the oversized hardcover version of Fallen Son also collects Captain America Comics #1 and material from Marvel Spotlight and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

These three confusingly titled Spider-Man books take place at basically the same time. Spider-Man: Back in Black collects the main story from Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a side story from the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man series. The Amazing Spider-Man issues are also collected in Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection, Book 5.

Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Back in Black collects a side story from the Sensational Spider-Man series, and although it ends before the main story in the other book, its context is better understood if read afterwards. The same is true for Spider-Man Family: Back in Black, which collects side stories from the Spider-Man Family series. The main story leads directly into Spider-Man: One More Day.

Collecting the “World War Hulk” crossover, these trades collect the tie-in issues by series rather than publication order. The main story is collected in the first trade, while the others take place during that story, for the most part. The main story has also been collected, along with an issue of Marvel Spotlight and the World War Hulk Aftersmash one-shot, in an oversized hardcover of the same name.

The title of the World War Hulk: X-Men trade is a bit of a misnomer. While it does include the three-issue World War Hulk: X-Men miniseries, the majority of its contents have nothing to do with the X-Men at all. Included are tie-in issues of Avengers: The Initiative, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, and The Irredeemable Ant-Man. The Ghost Rider issues are also collected in Ghost Rider, Vol. 3: Apocalypse Soon. The trade World War Hulk: The Incredible Hercules is also collected in Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans.

Plot threads from World War Hulk continue directly into several follow-up series, which are collected in World War Hulk: Damage Control and World War Hulk: Warbound.

This trade collects a variety of issues featuring Hulk fighting other prominent Marvel characters (including the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Thor, Wolverine, and Fin Fang Foom), the latest of which was published at this point.

In addition to collecting six issues of Amazing Spider-Man and the Amazing Spider-Man: Swing Shift one-shot, this volume also includes a story by Dan Slott and Mark Bagley originally published in 1995.

This trade collects a variety of stories featuring different people in the role of Captain America. The final issue is also collected in The Death of Captain America, Vol. 2: The Burden of Dreams and in The Death of Captain America Omnibus.